good morning. on good morning. mounting misery. frustration grows from ohio to d.c. where crews are struggling to restore power four days after deadly storms. more than a million homes still in the dark, forcing some cities to cancel fourth of july celebrations. all smiles. new images of the georgia student fighting a rare flesh eating disease as she's moved to a rehab facility. this morning her parents open up in an exclusive live interview about what is next for their daughter. and tight squeeze. the driver who wowed the world by parallel parking in a gap less than six inches longer than his car. can he do it again? he'll attempt the record setting stunt for us live tuesday, july he'll attempt the record setting stunt for us live tuesday, july 3rd, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and we should tell our crowd on the plaza not to worry. he's not going to try this stunt right here but at a facility safe in new jersey. good morning again to you. i'm natalie morales. >> i'm willie geist. we'll be watching safely from here. power crews from all over the country fanned out across the midwest state hit hardest by those storms where relief cannot come soon enough for weary homeowners. >> unfortunately looks like more than a million people will be without power until the end of the week. the weather is not cooperating. heat warnings are posted in 16 states. we'll have the latest and a first look at your fourth of july forecast. also ahead this morning, the latest on the college student

viciously mauled by chimpanzees in south africa. the two chimps involved and the aftermath of the attacks. plus close friends of the victim will speak out in a live interview. a ringless katie holmes steps out for the first time since filing for divorce from tom cruise while journalist anderson cooper announces he's gay. we'll have more on big celebrity talkers an discuss them with today's professionals. we begin with sweltering heat and the struggle to restore power to more than a million people. tom costello in bethesda, maryland. good morning to you, tom. >> reporter: good morning. we could have picked any number of neighborhoods from the d.c., maryland, virginia area. the devastation four days after the storm is still really remarkable. an entire tree here in this case shredded. take a look over here. this house has suffered significant damage here. a blue tarp hangs over it. look at the size of the tree literally cut in half by the

storm. 1.3 million people are thought to be without power stretching from ohio to the mid-atlantic. the mayor of d.c. is requesting president obama to declare a state of emergency, and there is an all-out mad dash to get everybody connected to power once again. on the national mall this independence week, it's hot. the kind of sticky heat you expect in d.c. during the summer. but without air conditioning, snow cones and water fountains have been among the only ways to cool off. across town, 9-year-old has been on the porch hoping to catch a breeze with his mom and sister. >> i'm very, very, very hot. i'm sleeping in the basement because it's so hot in my room. as soon as i get up from the basement, i'm sweating. >> reporter: inside, bad news. almost everything in their frig and freezer is headed to the trash. >> the cheese is going bad and the chicken that's in here is going bad. it has to be -- i don't want to

open it because it doesn't smell good. >> reporter: across multiple states, massive trees and power lines remain down. >> i want to take a shower more than anything in my life. i've never desired something more than a shower. >> reporter: maryland's governor says his state has never before seen a storm that came on so strong with so little warning. >> we have now had six fatalities as a result of this storm. >> reporter: monday the hottest and most dangerous joshs, the repair crews who don protective rubber gear and work in cherry pickers to untangle a spider's web of electrical lines. >> it's part of a big mess. >> reporter: a mess, indeed, four days after the storm cut a past from the midwest to the mid-atlantic, nearly 2 million people spent monday without electricity. but d.c. and the surrounding areas regularly lose power during storms. and d.c.'s mayor says something has to change. >> i think people are fed up with power outages. we need a game changer.

we need an approach now that is going to address how we stop this in the first place. >> meanwhile this family, like so many others without electricity, have closed the shade and retreated to the basement. >> we're going back in time. we do not have an internet. we don't have cell phones. okay. i have to figure out how to live now without all these gadgets. >> reporter: my 14-year-old said i can't live like this anymore. it's only been a few days without power. the bottom line is there's such a drain on the resources for the police officers and firefighters in the general montgomery county, maryland area, fairfax, arlington county, virginia, d.c., that some communities are now talking about canceling fireworks in maryland. they say their police and firefighters will be put to better use elsewhere as we continue to swelter and sweat through this kind of heat. natalie, back to you. >> trying everyone's patience there. tom costello in maryland, thank you. >> now to tamron hall at the

news desk for other top stories. tamron good morning. >> reporter: good morning. u.s. beefing up fighter jets in the persian gulf in a bid to block the iran military to shut down the strait of hormuz. carries out a second day of war games one day after the european union began its embargo against iranian oil. a new setback for firefighters out west as a fleet of large tanker planes needed to battle blazes have been grounded. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest from colorado springs. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. those firefighting planes used in colorado, now a fleet of seven have been grounded after four are feared dead. a firefighting workforce c-130 drops 1,000 gallons of fire

retardant in just seconds. the military plane like this one crashed in south dakota with six aboard. among the casualties, iraq and afghanistan veteran lieutenant colonel paul michael. >> the north carolina guard and guard across the country is grieving today. >> the cause of the crash has not been determined. it is being investigated. >> reporter: the c-130s have been battling fires across the country, a valuable asset in colorado where we now have a new look at the most destructive blaze in state history. a fast-moving firestorm swept across entire neighborhoods. 346 homes swallowed by planes, two were killed in the fire. >> from the left, the block is on fire. >> reporter: within three hours the community of mount shadows was destroyed. >> this was like a blow torch coming through here. >> reporter: mike was among the first to arrive on scene.

with his team he helped save countless homes. >> you get to see something like this and you feel proud. you know you made a stop there because that house didn't go out on its own. >> reporter: with make 2,000 people here still evacuated in colorado springs, the good news, tamron, this fire is now 70% contained. >> all right, miguel. thank you very much. chief executive of barclays has quit. mary thompson has the latest on the beleaguered bank. >> reporter: good morning. stepped down after his bank admitted fixing key interest rate from 2005 to 2009. last week the british bank paying regulators a $4 r5 3 million fine for fixing what is known as libor, a rate used to set interest rates on a variety of loans including mortgages. this isn't the last we hear of this as other banks are involved in the probe. here on wall street an early close ahead of the july 4th holiday. we'll also get may or june sales figures, the nation's automakers expected to show a slight uptick

for may. tamron, back to you. >> thank you very much, mary. mitt romney taking a week vacation with his family. he's been spotted grabbing ice cream, rolling around on a john deere tractor with his grandchildren. he even takes a back seat to his wife ann on a wave runner for a vacation. a painful front row seat for a line judge at wimbledon. walloped, a 118 miles an hour serve into the judge's face. but that was not enough to stop her. she was still able to rule a fault. he's like i'm so sorry. please, please, i'm so sorry. natalie, willie, stephanie, catch. >> she's a pro, though, she made the call. >> wourw, that's going to leave mark.

let's get a first check of weather. stephanie abrams in for al. >> the heat also going to leave a mark across the country. we do have that threat for excessive heat from the plains, midwest, all the way down into the south. here is a look at our highs, triple digit readings, st. louis, omaha, chicago, 99. cincinnati at 96. a look at where we could see severe weather throughout portions of the great >> good morning. it will be another hot day today. humidity will be a lull higher than yesterday. 30% chance for a thunderstorm. willie, over to you.

>> stephanie, thank you. now to the graduate student from texas recovering from a brutal chimp attack in south africa. we'll talk to two of his close friends in a moment. first rohit in south africa. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. the doctors here have really had a chance to reassess some of those injuries. it's clear the recovery is going to take some time. at least it's now happening with his parents close by. they flew in yesterday afternoon. they were distraught and they raced straight to the hospital. andrew oberle is under sedation this morning. he now has his parents at his bedside. after six hours of surgery to help repair wounds from head to toe, he's recovering well but there's a long way to go. exclusive images of the two chimps involved, nicky and am,

adeus. he charged the director after the attack. he's stable and cared for at a zoo in johannesburg. despite the savage mauling by two chimpanzees, doctors believe oberle may have escaped much worse injuries. >> he's in stable condition, remains in stable condition. he's been stable for quite some time now. we believe his progress is doing quite well. he's still under sedation. >> reporter: compare his cash to the woman mauled by a chimp in connecticut. she lost her hands and had to have a face transport. in 2005 james davis suffered major injuries and underwent extensive facial reconstruction after he was attacked by a chimp at a sanctuary. he to have more than 60 operations. nbc news told the sanctuary where oberle was attacked last week the spot where the mauling

happened is still locked down and being treated as a crime scene. looking at the image of that windshield, you can just imagine the terror inside the vehicle the director of the sanctuary, a man who devoted his life to helping chimps was forced to fire trait ahead through the windshield wounding the chimp straight in front of him, a last resort to try to save others. meanwhile we've been told by authorities that neither of the chimpanzees will be put down. >> horrifying. thank you so much. anthony and melissa, andrew oberle's friends and lived with him for the past three years. good morning to both of you. thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> tony, i know you've been in touch with the family a little bit. can you share with us any new information on andrew's condition and prognosis. >> we haven't really heard too much lately. his family has to go you there. we haven't had too much contact

with them. we don't really have any new information on how he's doing at this point in time. >> tony, what did his mother tell you in that first phone call before she left for south africa? >> she had just kind of told us what was going on and what had happened. we were both shocked and really saddened by what we heard. all we want to know is if he was doing okay. we were both trying to contact the hospital in south africa just to see how he was doing. but it was just shock and sadness, and just a whole bunch of different emotions that we both were feeling. >> melissa, i know andrew called you a day before the attack. how was he feeling about being back again at the goodall institute to work with those chimps. >> he was very excited to be back. he worked there last summer as well. you know, he was excited to get there and do research for his thesis so he could finish up his

master's degree in december this year. >> what was it about these chimps that andrew was so drawn to. these in so many case abused, used for entertainment, choosing not to study chimps in the wild but these particular chimps. what was it about them? >> he really wanted to help them, to do all he could to help them and study them and kind of teach other people about chimp behavior and the right way to bring them up and keep them in sanctuaries like these ones were in. >> tony, did andrew ever talk to you specifically about the dangers of working with chimpanzees? we heard about other stories. did he consider that, know about it? >> of course he knew about it. andrew is a very smart young man. he knew what he was doing. he basically worked with chimps before, worked at zoos his whole

life, in high school, st. louis zoo, san diego zoo. he knew exactly what he was doing, studied the risks. after studying chimps the last three or four years, he knew what he was doing. >> before we go, his parents say already they expect him to be back working with chimps after he recovers. does that surprise you about him in the not at all. andy is a very strong person. he would never put any blame on anybody. he's going to get right back out there and keep doing this if he can, definitely. >> i know the two of you set up a facebook page to raise some money. we wish you the best and please pass on our best wishes to andrew's family. thank you for being with us this morning. it is now 7:16 and here is natalie. >> willie, thank you. now to the latest on the split between tom cruise and katie holmes. she was spotted here in new york city on monday without her wedding ring. holmes first public outing since filing divorce papers.

nbc's jeff rossen has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. look, if katie holmes was looking for privacy, boy, did she choose the wrong city. any move she makes she lands on the front cover of the newspapers as she has every day. she's been here since the divorce filing. she's living with her daughter suri in a nice area of manhattan called chelsea. there's new reports out this morning why she wants sole custody. kathy holmes emerging monday wading through the mob scene, the soon to be single actress out and about in new york city, photographers following her every move. something is missing, her wedding ring, gone. even in the midst of chaos, katie looks relaxed, hardly the portrait of a woman in a custody battle with one of hollywood's most powerful stars. as her new neighbors have a front row seat. >> she's been with her daughter.

she holds her daughter in a loving way. she is a great asset to the building and is handling herself great. >> reporter: now questions about tom cruise's religion playing a role here. did scientology break them up. >> i think it's a privilege to call yourself a scientologist. it's something you have to earn. >> reporter: cruise seen here in this church promotional video praises the faith. >> >> we are the authorities getting people off drugs, of the mind. >> reporter: he's a leader in the church. katie was raised catholic, citing sources she was concerned about their daughter suri. >> the church of scientology is a critical issue in this divorce as it relates to suri. she's at an age now where she is going to go to elementary school. will she be raised and educated as a scientologist or something else or something in between. this is issue number one for katie holmes. >> reporter: now katie wants sole custody filing divorce

papers in new york and bringing suri to manhattan with her, spotted with her hello kitty purse. cruise reportedly wants to move the case to california. >> new york has a presumption of sole custody while states like california have a presumption of joint custody. so she has a better chance of taking sole custody of the child here in new york than probably anywhere else in the country. >> reporter: the couple owns property from new york to l.a., beverly hills to colorado, italy to england. so it comes down to a judge deciding where suri really lives. a bicoastal battle with katie firing the first shot. their daughter caught in the middle of this new celebrity spectacle. >> reporter: quite a birthday present for tom cruise. he turns 50 today dealing with all this in iceland where he's shooting a new movie. we should mention we reached out to tom cruise's lawyer, no response. we reached out to katie holmes'

lawyer, no response. the church of scientology said this is a private matter and declined the request for an interview. >> have to feel sad for the wholesation. jeff rossen, thank you. once again, here is willie. >> thank you. for the first time journalist anderson cooper has publicly acknowledged he's gay. mara schiavocampo has details. good morning, mara. >> reporter: good morning. anderson cooper has been very open about his life but always stayed mum on the question of sexuality until now. in an e-mail he ended years of speculation finally addressing what he called the gay question. >> we decided to -- >> reporter: a star anchor on cnn and budding talk show host, anderson cooper is used to covering the big stories. >> there's certainly a lot discussed with the reaction -- >> reporter: now he's making news, addressing the issue of his sexuality for the very first time. in an e-mail to "the daily

beast" published monday cooper states, the fact is, i'm gay, always have been, always will be, and i couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud. >> he's probably at a place in his personal and professional life where he feels he can be completely honest and the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. >> reporter: dubbed the silver fox, cooper rose to prominence as a fearless, sometimes opinionated reporter, comforting officials in the aftermath of katrina and even getting attacked during the egyptian revolution last year. the son of famed heiress and socialite gloria vanderbilt, cooper has been open about his life discussing painful details on his talk show like when his brother committed suicide in 1988, jumping from a balcony in front of his mother. >> i thought i was going to jump over after him, but then i thought of you and it stopped me

from doing that, you know. >> yeah. >> despite years of speculation, the one thing cooper never opened up about was his sexual orientation. in the e-mail he writes, "by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, i have given some the mistaken impression that i am trying to hide something, something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or afraid. it is simply not true. >> putting it in the letter really allowed him to keep all the control over the announcement. he got to say exactly what he wanted to say, but he also did it in a really quiet way so there's not too much attention to this announcement. >> reporter: cooper would not comment on whether or not he's currently in a relationship. in his e-mail he did say, i love and i am loved. willie. >> mara schiavocampo, thank you so much. just ahead this morning the georgia woman fighting a rare flesh eating bacteria out of the hospital now and headed to rehab. her parents open up in an exclusive live interview.

first this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead the dog is the center of a $500,000 lawsuit after claims an ex-girlfriend stole his business. >> after your local news. ♪ this is our pool. ♪ our fireworks. ♪ and our slip and slide. you have your idea of summer fun, and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price. but hurry, this offer ends july 31st. forit's about time we made our homes work for us. so let's make our dryers do the ironing. have our fridges cater our parties. and tell our ranges to whip up dinner. let's plug in to summer savings before they're gone... ...without wasting an ounce of energy with smart machines that turn housework into house play.

more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, save $600 on this maytag french door refrigerator, just $1,598. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. with the heat here for another couple of days, and thousands without power or air- conditioning, baltimore officials have opened a two new overnight cooling centers. each can accommodate about 75 people. mayor stephanie rawlings- blake said that the centers are a safe option for those who

would otherwise sleep in extreme heat. we've posted the locations on our website, wbaltv.com. let's check on the morning commute with kim dacey. >> not looking too bad on the major roadways. a couple of situations in the city. fayette and central, another accident there and. glen falls road and reisterstown, crash there. if the hess road, a tractor trailer moved off to the shoulder -- nicodemus road, tractor trailer moved off to the shoulder. here is one in howard county. 97, another of light out there. anne arundel county, telegraph road, reporter for crash coming in to us there. west side of the beltway in frederick road. picking up in volume, but moving fine. j.f.x., coldspring lane, things

are moving fine. tony has a check of the forecast. >> we are off to a quiet start this tuesday morning. 71 at the airport, 72 in westminster, 68 in parkton. the dew points are not that bad. humidity, at least for the time being, is fairly comfortable. i will put in a 30% chance for thunderstorms later this afternoon. high temperatures bet

you don't want to try this at home as they get going there. you're looking at stunt drivers showing off incredible moves with mini coopers. they will be incredible moves. they even get up on two wheels. they are all part of the team that recently set a new parallel parking recordly squeezing into a spot less than six inches longer than their vehicle. so naturally we wanted to know if they could do it again under the pressure of our cameras watching live as they rev it up and start going there.

there are some stunts. wow. we'llind out if they can do it for us live in the next half hour inside studio 1a. that's crazy. there you go. now you're seeing the stunts. wow. not that anybody would try that at home because nobody could do that. inside studio 1a, i'm natalie morales with willie geist in for matt. >> two-wheel motion. one thing to do it on tape and release it for youtube, another thing to do it live. see if they can pull it off. ahead sammy in the city, a website starring a 10-pound pomeranian around new york city. the owners say he's been locked out of the site by his ex-girlfriend. now he's suing to the tune of $500,000. we'll talk to him coming up. >> very cute dog. then it's tuesday. that means it's time for "today's" professionals. a take on the tomkat split, a

new campaign to stop women from putting on makeup behind the wheel. we want to begin the hour with a georgia student fighting a flesh eating bacteria. she's out of the hospital. we'll talk to her parents in a minute. gabe gutierrez has more on her recovery. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. she's in a rehab center in the atlanta area. her family is not disclosing where due to privacy concerns so she can focus on her recovery. understandable considering all she's been through the last two months. by most accounts, these pictures should have never been possible. >> everything about this is just amazing to me. amy copeland having her mom put on her makeup, smiling, clutching a stuffed animal and rolling out of the hospital to rehab. by all accounts the 24-year-old college student should never have survived the aggressive

flesh eating bacteria that took her limbs. >> it's remarkable for three reasons. number one, god's will. number two, her will. number three, i think the wonderful care she had at the hospital. >> reporter: in virtually all of these new pictures amy is smiling. you'd almost never know the agony she endured, the ordeal chronicled in her father's blog. andy copeland wrote his daughter occasionally cries from the pain but stops because crying hurts her stomach. somehow she wished him a happy father's day. it's easy to see why her story has inspired so many. in augusta, hundreds honored her over the weekend raising money for her long road ahead. >> our goal was to be able to help with her prosthetic. we found out one of her legs was going to be $85,000. >> other supporters picked and sold sun flowers near atlanta. >> the bad thing that happened to her, it's good to feel we can help her out. >> reporter: aimee's family

expects in-patient rehab to last six to eight weeks. during that time they will build a wing in the house to finish recovery. when she's home she wants to finish her thesis. >> her main goal is to actually be able to graduate and walk, literally, in december to complete her degree. i'm amazed that she would set such an ambitious and lofty goal, but i would not be surprised in the least to see her achieve it. >> reporter: by most accounts ambitious. by all accounts, extraordinary. and aimee's hometown here in snellville continues to rally behind her. we're told several contractors have volunteered their efforts to help aimee's family build that extra wing inside their home. natalie. >> so nice to hear that. gabe gutierrez in snellville, georgia. thank you. aimee's parents are with us exclusively. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> so nice to see those smiles on aimee's face. donna, let me start with you.

you were in the ambulance as she was transferred to that rehabilitation facility. can you describe her spirits? what was her reaction to be able to move on from this? >> she was very excited when we got in the ambulance. but it didn't take her long until she was out like a light and she slept all the way. she was in high spirits. she couldn't wait to get there and get started. she is just so motivated. when we arrived, she was still motivated. >> great. andy, of course, she has a long road ahead, still six to eight weeks, i believe, in rehabilitation there. what are some of the skills she's going to have to relearn to carry on with living a normal life. >> you know, it's amazing the things we take for granted in our life. the ability to get up and go fix a cup of coffee and come sit back down again. she has to relearn that ability just to get up and go get whatever needs -- whatever she needs to satisfy her needs.

you know, whether it's to go to the bathroom, to fix her something to eat. so she just has to learn to be able to have some mobility in her life again. incidentally, right now, as we speak, that process of relearning that ability has already started. she's already 30 minutes into her first rehab day. >> great to hear that. i just can't help but admire her so much and her courage and strength. i know she wants to walk at her graduation, after receiving her master's diploma. do you think that's a realistic goal? >> you know what, i believe, first of all, she's a very prayerful and meditative young lady. i believe there's still a lot of prayers pouring out for us all across the world. i believe when you have the power of prayer behind you, i believe anything is possible. when you couple that with aimee's determination, her resolute will, yes, i do believe that's possible. >> and donna, as we heard in

gabe's piece, we understand your daughter is still dealing with some of the phantom pains. can you describe her level of pain now? is it getting any better? >> i wouldn't say it's getting any better. she's still having a lot of pain. i believe rehab, they are going to try some methods with her, readjust some of her drugs that she's taking. i think that's going to help her a whole lot. >> i imagine as she continues on with her recovery, the emotional aspects come front and center now. how are you all as a family helping her move on and understand what has happened to her and keep so positive? >> well, you know, i think we all deal with the emotional aspect every day. that's i think where the family unit comes together and we support each other. so she's going to continue to need our support. that's why it's really good she is local, that we can see her

every day. she told us she wants to see us every day. we've got a lot of things going on. there's nothing right now more important than the health and well-being of our daughter aimee. she continues to recover. i believe our presence will be a mitigating factor as far as the strength and power of her recovery. >> we've seen that in your blogs, the whole family getting involved there. you all are an inspiration and really taught us a lot about the spirit of going through a challenging part of our lives. thanks so much and our best to aimee. >> thank you. >> and now let's get a check of the weather from stephanie abrams who is in for al. >> "today's" weather brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. heat is the big story again today. look at triple digit readings all the way through places like

nebraska, into the 90s into chicago. as we head to fourth of july, we could see storms into the northeast and also into northern minnesota. here is a more specific look at new york city. it looks like the threat for a thunderstorm will lessen as we head through the day, which will be great news because there's an awesome fireworks displaaw >> good morning. it will be another hot day today. humidity it will come up a little bit. the neighbors and chance for a thunderstorm. >> we have some friends visiting from kansas. where are you from? >> topeka. >> missing that heat? >> not at all. >> natalie, for your forecast,

go to weather.com 24 hours a day. >> all right. stephanie, thanks so much. coming up next, jenna bush hager hits the open road with her sister to explore the magnificent desert and canyons of utah. up next a former couple's legal fight over the adorable dog. we'll meet the pooch caught in the middle after this. [ male announcer ] every day, thousands of people are choosing advil® for their headaches. my name is sunshine and i have three beautiful girls. i like taking advil® for a headache. it nips it in the bud.

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one a day women's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day women's 50+ healthy advantage. back now at 7:43 with a dogfight brewing over a popular website that featured an adorable 10-pound pomeranian. we'll meet sammy and his owner, first tamron hall has the did he taste. tamron. >> willie, this is a case of he

said, she said all over a site of sammy and the city. this is a tale of a small dog in a big city. sammy, an adorable 10-pound pomeranian became an online sensation valued, according to the dog's owner, at half a million dollars. scott smith said he created this website called sammy and the city last year along with his sister jessica and his then girlfriend. the site filled with pictures and videos of the cute canine posing all around manhattan had 40,000 visitors a month. now scott smith is claiming his ex poached the pooch's website and the two broke up last year but the two worked on the business for months. scott said she changed the passwords and prevented him from uploading images of sammy. but the dog belongs to scott. he plans to sue anna for $500,000 and launch add new facebook page, sammy and the

world, posts a new picture of sammy in a shower camp, rain coat or simply relaxing. in a statement anna says, she has not been served a lawsuit. the idea for the website was hers. she purchased the site, took every photo, shot and edited every youtube video. claimed scott gave her co-ownership of sammy and it was he who changed the password. she ended the story saying lies have short legs. >> i love him. he makes me happy. unconditional love. perfect. >> as for how much money that website generates, anna claims it's never made a dime. willie. >> thank you. scott smith is with us exclusively along with his sister jessica and the famous sammy. good morning to you all. >> good morning. >> we have to point out sammy was vein, really enjoying watching himself on tv. >> he's gotten used to it. >> let me ask you in the plaines of terms, what are you accusing your ex-girlfriend here. >> look, she locked me out of

the website somewhere in the second week of april she locked me out of the website and instagram, our main driver for our traffic to the website. we used that platform the most. >> she said, in fact, in that statement to nbc that you signed a notarized document that gave her co-ownership of sammy and that you, in fact, were the ones that changed the passwords, not her. how do you respond to that? >> if that's the case why can't i get into the website or use instagram. why did i have to change new names and facebook pages. i can't get into my website. >> in addition to that, why would my brother sign over his dog to a girl he was dating for a year? he's had the dog for seven years. this dog is his life. he would never, ever -- this would be like giving his child to a girl he was dating. it doesn't make sense. >> i want to come back to that a second. >> she shot all the videos. >> i did the writing, she did

the pictures, i did the networking around the city and the world. >> she said this was a fulltime job for her and she was running the site. >> go on, sorry. >> she was actually looking for a job, talking about the fact she wanted to get another job. this wasn't her fulltime thing. she was doing us a favor. she was looking for another job. she was actively sending out resumes. >> which is totally okay. there's nothing wrong with want agnew job and going out and doing other things. what is wrong is want new things, go after them, and lock us out of the website and photo sharing application. that's wrong. >> scott, you're suing for $500,000. >> yes. >> you say the site is worth $1 million. >> at least. >> the dog is adorable, the site is fun but that sounds like a big number. how did you get to that? >> the site never made a penny. absolutely right about that. no revenue for the site even though our platform is ready. >> how do you get to $1 million.

>> i'll give you one but not others, because i'll use them in the lawsuit. instagram site, a million dollars. let's talk about what that meant per user. 35 million users, facebook paid for that. we had instagram, $750,000 there. $1.5 million. excuse me, one platform. >> we agree this is not instagram or facebook. >> definitely not. i'm just saying there's a value for an audience. >> i have to ask you quick before you go you told the "new york post," this is one of the biggest atrocities that ever happened to a family. a lot of people read that and say this guy needs to get a grip. what do you say? >> you think what you want. when you let someone in your family the way you let them in ours. you come to them with an

opportunity, after being heat go by thomson reuters, an explosion in social media, to do what you did takes i don't know what kind of character. >> we've got to run. sam y, hang in there, buddy. come back and let us know how this turns out. >> thank you. >> scott and ssica, thank you all. just ahead an attention grabbing campaign to stop women from putting on makeup while they drive. we'll talk about that and more with "today's" professionals. first these messages. i read an article... well, i read the majority of an article online about how older people are becoming more and more antisocial, so i was really aggressive with my parents about joining facebook. my parents are up to 19 friends now? so sad. ♪ i have 687 friends. this is living. what!? that is not a real puppy. that's too small to be a real puppy. [ male announcer ] venza. from toyota.

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olay moisture bars help lock in moisture... while five blades get venus close. revealing smooth and goddess skin begins. only from venus & olay. just ahead the master driver behind that record setting parallel parking job gearing up to try and recreate his amazing stunt for us live, as you see it there. >> getting a little practice in. >> there you go. warming himself up. going to be hard to do. he's got six inches to uphold that record between each car. >> think we'll see a wreck this morning? >> no, hopefully not. >> first your local news and weather. [ male announcer ] it isn't just your mammogram.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> we have a lot of situations in the city to talk about. one at parkway and east lake avenue. another one that helped send an mondawmin ave. -- one ant hilton and mondawmin avenue. telegraph and route 32 in anne arundel county, a crash reported to us there. traffic lights remain out across the area.

here is one on howard county on the ramp to westbound 70. we will give you a live look at traffic. we will check and see how they are doing here. increasing volume of one of it. increase -- in the volume quite a bit. traffic is moving fine here. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are off to a fine start. humidity is down a little bit. low sixties for the dew points. 78 at the airport, 72 in randallstown. humidity will go to a little bit into the afternoon hours. with the added heat energy, 30% chance for a thunderstorm. high temperatures between 90 and 95. unfortunately, the chance for rain will go up tomorrow.

40% chance of a thunderstorm on wednesday. it gets harder at the end of the week

tuesday morning the 3rd of july, 2012. we're thankful for everyone gathered at rockefeller plaza. if they stick around for friday morning, they are in for a real treat because flo rida live in concert on the plaza. willie, are you a dancer? >> i'm not a good dancer but a dancer. >> i feel a dance coming on on friday. it's going to be fun. >> the overbite. >> willie geist with the overbite in for matt. just ahead the driver who could be handy in new york city. >> this is a guy who set a world

record by parallel parking into a spot that was less than six inches larger than the car itself. maybe you see the video online. he did it in the blink of an eye. the question is can he do it again and do it live. coming up, he'll attempt to recreate the stunt live. >> these are professional drivers, so you're aware. speaking of professionals, in "today's" professionals they are here to tackle some of the hottest stories of the day. as we learned yesterday, anderson cooper has come out. is it important for high-profile celebrities to make their sexual preference now known. also talking about whether to spank or not to spank, certainly a subject with huge controversy. a new study comes out and shows spanking can have consequences later on in life to a person's mental health. debating all that. >> i don't know that i want to hear donnie talking about

spanking. later jenna bush hager takes her sister on a road trip down famed highway 12. she'll be here to show us the fun the twins had along the way. >> first inside to the news desk. tamron hall with the top stories. hey, tamron. >> hey, willie, everyone. more than a million customers waiting for electricity to be restored after weekend storms that swept from ohio to washington, d.c. high winds damage power lines, uprooted trees and killed at least 22 people. meantime blistering heat will stretch from the midwest to the mid-atlantic states today. british drugmaker glaxcosmithkline agreed to pay $3 billion in fines to settle cases involving different drugs. that's the largest settlement for health care fraud in u.s. history. the justice department says glaxcosmithkline promoted the popular paxil and wellbutrin for useses. also failed to disclose avandia

could cause heart problems. the 45-year-old swim erika up short last night in her final bid to make the record sixth olympic team. tarmoh with drew from the tiebreaking runoff for the spot in the 100 meter. she conceded to training partner allyson felix saying her heart wasn't in it. grabbed the torch on the relay through england. now for a look what's trending today. a quick roundup of what has you talking online. cnn's anderson cooper, a popular google search after coming out as gay in a letter published in "the daily beast" website. came out as facebook rolled out same-sex marriage icons with two men or two women in a cake topper style.

naomi watts doing a double take, done up as princess diana for the biopic due out next year. pit bull could be heading to the great white north. he's part of the promotion to perform at the walmart that gets the most likes on twitter. so far the remote kodiak, alaska, walmart has a huge lead over miami stores thanks to the internet campaign. so mr. 305 is going to come mr. 907. that's the alaska area code. now 8:04, back to the weather. >> in the 212. take you to kansas city. what's your area code. >> 64701. >> just the area code, don't need the phone number on tv. that's your zip code. look at the whole family. how innovative with the sign. god bless kansas city and america. love that. let's have a look at the forecast as we're heading into

our holiday weekend. we are going to see in and around temple, texas, obviously make warm temperatures, isolated thunderstorms, 91 as we look at satellite and radar. not a ton going on but storms in the midwest headed into the northeast. they won't get here until the day tomorrow. so today it's going to be sunny into the northeast. also through the center of the country. but the threat for storms >> good morning. it will be another hot day today. humidity will be a lull higher than yesterday. 30% chance for a thunderstorm. willie, back over to you.

>> all right, stephanie, thanks very much. up next "today's" professionals weigh in on the tomkat split, spanking and much more right after this. this is our beach.ncer ] ♪ this is our pool. ♪ our fireworks. ♪ and our slip and slide. you have your idea of summer fun, and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price. but hurry, this offer ends july 31st. for an exceptional price. it's sears july 4th sale mattress spectacular. save up to 60%, plus get an extra 10% off. with special financing. and free delivery. this is worth celebrating. this is sears. the lines. the cost. the hassle. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] why not try coffee-mate? with over 25 delicious flavors

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last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years. in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. back now at 8:09 with a new installment of "today's" professional. they are primed and ready to tackle the hottest stories of the day. all right, guys. let's get going here. let's talk about the latest news

in the tomkat split. not shocking to a lot of people. some details emerging, katie apparently renting a apartment in new york city a couple weeks ago, apparently to give her more -- to allow her more of an opportunity to fight her face for sole custody, because new york laws do apparently give more weight to that here. right? >> the issue is establishing jurisdiction for the purposes of custody. and the child has to have the connection to the jurisdiction. not just the parents have to have a place to live. a lot of wealthy people have apartments or houses here in new york. does the child go to the doctor here, does the child go to school here, does the child have some connection to new york state. that's the real reason for the case to be heard here. i think actually tom has the better argument that the case should be heard out in california, which is where their actual living situation was. >> do you see this, then, becoming like a bicoastal

custody dispute then? >> this is a big jurisdictional issue. that's probably the first thing they will argue over. the next thing, of course, is going to be child custody and child support because in new york state, the person who has primary custody meaning 51% of the time is the one entitled to the child support. and in new york state you're entitled to 17% of the combined income of the parent. but only up to a statutory cap. now you've got big money. got big money. he's saying -- >> the legal aspect. >> i'm not here to tell you the gospel, the law. it's a lot of money. >> the court of public opinion. in the court of public opinion does katie holmes have a leg to stand on here? as some sources are saying she's trying to shield her daughter from scientology. nancy, she knew what she was getting into when she married tom cruise. >> she's the young dough eyed thing falling in love with the

big legend. he may have prompted to facilitate her career. as she became more mature thought what am i doing here, i want out. the core is whether this is a sham marriage from day one or she's just grown into a different person. her fierce desire to protect the maternal interest of the child. >> two observations. number one, when people get married, what are the things they talk about, do we want kids, how do we raise them religiously. obviously scientology is a big part of tom cruise's life. this is a key part of his life. number two, as somebody raising children with a mom, we work so hard to get along, because with every divorce case parents who get along, the kids are great. they don't, the kids get screwed up. shame on both of them, shame on both of them if they can't figure out a way to get in a room for 24 hours in the middle of the country and figure out

what's best for this little girl. shame on them. any parents who can't do that -- >> don't hate each other more than you love your child. it will be very interesting to see if that plays out here. >> let's move on now. a lot of other news to get to. anderson cooper as you know came out yesterday in an eloquently worded e-mail to "the daily beast." here is what he wrote in part. it's become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, i've given some the mistaken impression that i'm trying to hide something, something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. this is distressing because it is simply not true. then he goes on to say, the fact is i'm gay, always have been, always will be and i couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself and proud. now star, of course, he will have a powerful voice being an advocate for the gay and lesbian community. but is there a certain sense of obligation for celebrities now to make their sexual preferences

known? >> i don't think people have to, you know, come out and say i am oriented in one direction or the other. i'm a little bit of a cynic. i've been in daytime television a long time. >> you think he came out for another reason? >> he's a daytime talk show host. when the ratings slip in daytime, the hosts tend to tell you lots of things about them. i remember oprah said she smoked crack. oprah said she was pregnant at 14 and considered suicide. there are times you generate information for ratings. whoa, i'm sorry i said that. i mean i say bravo. >> the reality is more people will turn to the show. the reality today his numbers will pop. here is my take on an obligation. they have an obligation, anderson or anybody else, to do what's right for them, their life, their career. if you are a super action hero and you are gay and you come out, it will hurt your career.

it's wrong but people will look at you jumping from buildings. it's a shame but it is. in anderson's case, he's so entrenched in the news business, he'll be fine. had he done that 10 years ago before he was established it might have hurt him. >> everybody will be shocked. in the business, the worst kept secret. everybody knew anderson was gay. it laos him to go with his partner, in a social scene, not always be solo. free to be who he is. >> what about reporting in parts of the country where that might not be accepted. >> you're a journalist. why should being a single woman be different than being a gay man. if you want to go report from that part of the world, who you are is who you are. >> let's move on to spanking. to spank or not to spank. in our parenting news a new study shows spanking could lead

to mental health disorders, a study conducted by canadian research team children spanked at a higher risk for depression and alcohol abuse later in life and more likely to hit their own children. this is a very controversial topic. >> i don't think it is controversial. this came out this week in pediatrics. it adds to the idea that when you hit somebody, it doesn't make kids better and they learn from that. this study followed kids and looked at anxiety, social isolation, the fact that they themselves would act out abnormally in social situations. unfortunately parents still do whack their kids but there's no benefit from it. >> you say no benefit. 70% of americans according to the boston globe think spanking sometimes is necessary. 90% say they have spanked. >> we do that because we say we turned out okay. >> show your hands. i got spanked. >> once or twice. here is the interesting thing. have you to define spanking. with my kids we'll be holding

hands and i give them a little squeeze. >> that's not spanking. >> obviously sitting there whacking your kid. >> different. >> obviously there's a different. parents choose their rate. discipline is a good thing but it can go too far. >> my father was really a disciplinarian but he would never spank the girls. he would never spank the children ever. >> but he would spank the boys. >> no, we had no boys. >> the old military belt coming out. >> that's a whole other things. >> star, donnie, nancy, thanks. can he do it twice. the world record for the parallel parking. you don't want to miss it right after this. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain.

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parallel parking the man who can fit into the tightest spaces. jenna, we've been waiting all morning, take it away. >> reporter: this is fun. the mini usa headquarters. a professional stunt driver. he's able to set the unofficial parallel parking job, 5.9 inches, five inches larger than the car he was in. it's an unbelievable feat. you know how i know that? i gave it a try this morning. this was me early this morning trying to get in. i had full confidence going in. i thought i could do this in like 30 moves. it took me 30 minutes and i resorted to just double parking. let me show you how this is supposed to be done. here he is doing this in beijing. he did set the world record. he fit into the tightest spot. has he a way of doing this. a system, routine, if you will. i wasn't privy to this routine

when i did this this morning. so we're back out here live now and we're going to get to him in a second standing by. i want to introduce to you jim mcdow. don't worry what it says on your shirt. worry about it. you're vice president at mini usa. welcome. thank you for letting us destroy your parking lot with this. >> thank you for coming. >> reporter: i have to ask you a question. some of these cars have an american flag tattooed on the top of them. it's for a special ten-year celebration you have planned. >> this is mini's tenth anniversary in the u.s. we're excited. it's been 10 exciting years. people didn't know if mini would make it in the u.s. it's been a great success, more than 450,000 motorists. >> you're going cross-country. >> it's a cross-country drive. twelve days later we end up in los angeles. >> fantastic. before you do, we'll cue him. we'll have about the basic training, routine, all of it. you look like you train on a daily basis. >> absolutely. >> this is it.

international cue for begin parallel parking. there he comes. he's going to do this more gracefully than i did it this morning. >> does that make you nervous? these are your cars? does that make you nervous next time you see that? >> that might be my next company car. it makes me very nervous. >> what is the training for this. before i ask you, that was awesome. high-five. i guess the steering wheel gets a little -- yes, a round of applause. this is a hotly contested world record. he did this in 5.9 inches. it went back and forth for a while. >> back and forth over several years. he won in a competition in china. we're delighted he can with us today. >> besides protein shakes how do you train. do you wreck them on a daily

basis. >> you start farther apart and move closer and closer. you can see the parking lot had a lot of practice. >> change the car, puts more pressure on the tires for this. >> this is a stock car just with more tire pressure. >> is this a quintessential do not try this at home type of thing. >> i would start with a very wide berth. >> by wide berth you mean a mile and a half. >> a mile and a half. >> are you because you host this, are you part of the contest at all. have you tried this? >> i have not tried this. i'm doing the drive starting tomorrow. >> how was this, good, bad, ugly? >> good. i love mini. >> how did you do here? let me measure this. that is not bad. >> yeah. >> how do you get out? push, right? >> it takes 30 times back and forth, back and forth. >> that's the way i did. >> reporter: thank you so much. that was awesome. come live in new york city. we need you here on a daily basis. jim, all the best across the

country and thanks to mini for letting us come out. >> our pleasure to share motoring fun with you. >> reporter: thanks, guys. we'll send it back to you guys in the studio. >> jenna, first try, national television live, sticks the landing. >> unbelievable. i'm going to try that in hoboken later today. >> you are not. he had ice water in his veins. >> just like that, inches of the other car, unbelievable. >> i'm impressed. we're back after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am kim dacey. things are looking good overall, lighter volume than usual. one incident and reisterstown road. another one and dennis and road. on the outer loop, 695, 295, we have a disabled vehicle that has moved off to the shoulder. all lanes are open there. howard county, northbound 29 on the ramp was down 70, 97,

glenwood area . checking in at 14 minutes. 11 minutes i-95 southbound between the beltway and 32. no delays to talk about. west side of the beltway, frederick road, inner and outer loop. no delays to talk about. harrisburg expressway, south of traffic coming towards us. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony has a chart of the forecast. >> dew points got into the low 60s last night. 76 in columbia. 71 in parkton. winds will pick up in the south and southeast and humidity will go up a little bit. in the humidity, we will put a

30% chance in for a thunderstorm. is near 93 degrees. 40% chance for a thunderstorm tomorrow. back in 25 minutes.

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taste the fun today. america runs on dunkin'. hurry in to dunkin' and try the new oreo coolatta and donuts today. morning july 3rd, 2012. got a great crowd, preholiday crowd in rockefeller plaza, getting a jump-start maybe on their fourth of july plans. for millions of americans, those plans include a barbecue, of course. just ahead we're going to help you iron out your menu with delicious and easy recipe that is sure to impress. >> that sounds good.

also ahead "america's got talent" judge howie mandel. his show just kicked off the live elimination round last night in new york city. who is in trouble? break down the competition coming up. >> i caught on late but love it. part two in our special series, america the beautiful. jenna bush hager and twin sister in a convertible, utah's famed highway. they got on a horse somewhere there. on the incredible journey. got onto love it. >> i'm so jealous. first a check of the weather from stephanie abrams filling in for al. hi, stef. >> i come down to wish kay and phil and what do they say. >> rain in arkansas. >> done and done for the anniversary present. i'm going to send rain to arkansas. that easy. can you believe it?

july 4th forecast across the country. a little stormy to the south. unfortunately doesn't look like arkansas is going to get in on that rain. sorry, guys. i'll make it up to you, i promise. new york city, a beautiful show over the hudson. looks like that risk for storms will lessen as we head >> good morning. it will be another hot day today. humidity it will come up a little bit. the neighbors and chance for a thunderstorm. >> celebrating another 50th anniversary, congratulations. some more celebrating with willard. we're talking birthdays over 100.

good morning, willard. >> come to the garden while the dew is on the roses. i love gardens, this is the prettiest. happy birthday from smucker's to our birthday buddies. tyler, texas, a great little town. we have pearline williams, 106 years old. longevity, don't waste time being angry. beatrice barr, trenton, new jersey. 105 years old today. loves to travel and also loves to play card with her friends. you can't beat the combination. paul and jean hardy from decoral, iowa. 75 years they have been married and love each other very much. how about that. can't beat that. happy birthday to julia degni.

utica, new york, 100 years old. a lifelong writer. she's always wanted to be, that was her ambition and still is. she's so happy she reached her goals in life. bill quinn, ft. worth, texas, is 7b. as a retired newspaper publisher, guess what, he loves to read newspapers. all newspapers. and we have sina hayes from winston-salem, north carolina, 109 years old today. has a strong religious faith and is always very positive and loves cookies. back to new york. >> all right, willard. thank you very much. up next "america's got talent" judge howie mandel in ourn

back now at 8:36 with howie mandel with a judge on nbc's

"america's got talent." he's seen everything from rapping pirates to contortionists. live shows got away with 12 of the 48 contestants competing for a shot -- oh, my gosh, look at that guy. a million dollar prize. howie, good morning. >> good morning. >> do you cringe when you see an act like that? >> i think that kid is going to go almost all the way. he's amazing. he's got a great story. he is homeless. they just relocated him. he doesn't have a phone. i call him gumby. >> look at that. >> can you imagine if gumby could dance, that is what he would look like. >> how are you liking being in new york. you're on howard stern's home turf. >> i am. i'm thrilled howard joined the show this year. i think it's a real asset to our show. i was a little apprehensive. i've got to say, coming here, we're actually doing it in newark, the electricity and energy is far beyond what you could ever imagine.

feels a lot different than what it feels in hollywood. there's 3,000 people in the audience, a huge theater and exciting. >> overall how has the talent been this season. >> the talent pool is deeper than it has been. not so much in singing. it's great. we're a variety show. after last night's, i think there were four standouts. it was real easy to tell who the four, i believe, finalists will be. >> we'll get to last night's competition in a mom. i want to get to a controversial issue, there was a contestant on the show timothy poe who claimed westbound a wounded warrior from iraq, turns out his whole story was a hoax. >> a lie. >> military records did not show that he served in the military. he used another soldier's identity. >> he had a picture of another soldier. i don't even know if he stutters. >> question to you, you had a very strong reaction to what happened? >> i did. i was appalled. i think at this time -- you could say he had -- i don't know if this was a plan or he thought

of it ahead of time. sometimes a good story is what propels somebody ahead. but this story at this time in our lives in this country is not something to play w there are so many heroes out there. he went from hero to zero in like one night. he doesn't deserve to be on the show. we left him on the show. >> he was eliminated. >> his talent wasn't good. when you remove the story from the talent, i don't think he compared to the other talent on the show. >> moving to other competition. i love this act. david garibaldi, they are all painting and dancing at the same time. >> not only are they painting and dancing at the same time, they do it differently each time. amazing he's able to do it that speed to music. here he is last flight. he's painting. have you no idea what he's painting. at the end he paints the back. lo and behold we have milk jag -- mick jagger. he can do something different

every time. >> a lot of singers in the competition. the last six seasons, five of the winners have been singers. >> yes. >> so what are you seeing in the pool of singers this time around. >> we do have a lot of good singers, up against a lot of things. there are things beyond the singer. this singer, her name is -- is it jennifer? i can't remember, the girl from australia. the point is i don't even remember her name. i don't think she rose to the occasion. i think she has a good voice but not memorable as opposed to these two. him and his daughter. she's beautiful, a star on her own. this is kind of a nice combination and i think america's heart will go out to them. >> people love a father-daughter. that's a great story there as well. little star, 6-year-old girl performed last night. you and sharon liked her. he said she was a little bit of a shirley temple. >> i think she is. if you at her face, beyond her feet, she is. i don't think she'll win this competition or go much father-of- farther. i think people are watching.

you'll see her on disney, movies. he i think she has a career. she's adorable. >> howard stern wasn't thrilled with her performance. >> i think he was talking specifically about this competition. adorable isn't enough to go on in the competition. i think she's beautiful, will be a big star but not the million dollar act. >> to be a show in las vegas, a 6-year-old in las vegas, that's a hard thing to -- >> it happened forever. michael jackson was there, jackson 5 in las vegas. >> good point. tonight, first live round of elimination. you're breaking down, 12 acts. >> top four. >> your top four if you have to choose. >> the scott brothers, two brothers that dance, shan he's and maurice, david garibaldi and -- >> the contortionist. >> he wasn't on last night. my fourth, i can't remember. >> the father daughter. >> the father daughter. i think he said that. edon, the little jewish boy with a voice of an angel.

>> what about his act. >> he's amazing. so unassuming. you can't judge a book by the cover. the voice was angelic. >> do you think it appeals to a mass audience as a whole? do you think he's got that story? >> well, you know what, he is chosen. >> there you go. he's a chosen one. that was good. >> thank you. >> howie mandel. great to have you. you're inside today. >> thank you for having me. i brought a jacket. >> we brought you in. next time you're here, you'll be back in. >> i love you. >> live results tonight 9:00, 8:00 central time on nbc. coming up next jenna bush hager and her sister head out on the country's most scenic highways. we'll share her adventure. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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we're back now at 8:44 with mayor of our special series, america the beautiful. this morning's destination "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager made it a family affair. jen ark, this was a fun one. >> this was a fun one. good morning, willie. on day two of our journey, we moved from the snow and ice in alaska to the high desert canyons of southern utah. the best way to take it all in? can you say road trip? it is a land unlike any other, a place of shadows of canyon, magical. through it all lies southern utah's highway 12, one of 25 all american roads where the road is the destination. >> highway 12 is 124-mile route through some of the most beautiful and remote country in

the western united states. visitors come just to experience and travel on the road. >> that sounds like a road trip to me. why not travel in style. 1964 cadillac convertible style. just for fun, i decided to bring my sister. let the road trip begin. >> yeehaw. >> you got it sissy. >> we started in the red canyon where the road and the scenery become one. >> it's cool. look at this. >> it's awesome. this looks like a kind of dangerous cliff we do not want to drive off. we've reached our destination, bryce point. >> bryce canyon. >> i told you it was named after ebenezer bryce. >> this is unbelievable. >> it is unbelievable. >> we were so inspired we decided to hike the navajo loop and check out the famed thor's

hammer. we wanted to get closer but that required a step up. >> the animals will walk on the outside edge of the trail. don't panic, scream. if you get nervous, do like the horses do and close your eyes. >> we'll be coming around the mountain when we come. yeehaw. it was beautiful country, barbara and me and my trusty steed ringo. >> come on, ringo. >> ringo is a tv star. let's go. >> right before we top the rise, make sure you take a deep breath and hang onto it because the view could take your breath away. >> seriously. >> seriously. >> this is beautiful. i feel like we're on another planet. >> after dusting off back in the caddy, mossy caves. taking a break in the headwaters of the falls. every moment a memory. >> i feel like tom sawyer.

>> next the grand staircase, the monument. some of the most exploratory ter toes in the united states. this canyon called egypt one where rick showed barbara and me how to rappel. >> a lot of weight. >> just like that. >> that was awesome. well done by the sissy. >> booties down low. >> move the feet, move the butt, move the feet. body bridge. >> there's a bone. >> that's a german tourist. >> down the canyon. >> my little sister just foll following me around. >> after scrapes and a few scares, we made it. >> good job. >> we're down. okay. >> after the hike out, it was back to the caddy and a well deserved treat. right here in the middle of the

desert, the shooting star drive-in. >> and now on with the show. >> with our classic caddy, we fit right in. tell me how you came up with the idea to create such a fun spot. >> i've always loved drive-ins. i fell in love with southern utah and put the two together, having a drive-in movie theater and being in a fantastic gorgeous place. >> the silver screen under the shooting stars. if the journey is the destination, then this destination was the perfect end to our road trip. it was definitely a road trip to remember. i have to say bryce canyon national park, truly incredible. you've got to go. >> your guide was right, absolutely breathtaking. was there any fighting like when you were little kids and your mom and dad had to separate you in the back seat. did you fight on the road trip? >> we did as little kids.

somehow as 30 years old, we managed to keep it sane. i don't know how we did it but we did. >> i'm impressed that i'm paying you to go on road trips with your sister. >> that's true. i have a pretty good job. it was kind of thelma and louisesque but without an explosion. >> happier ending. i'll take that. we'll round out the series tomorrow, you'll visit georgia's cumberland island. >> incredible. >> jenna, thanks. up next a quick and easy menu for your fourth of july barbecue. next on nbc. here you go little man.

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to do grilling and chilling before tomorrow's fourth of july holiday. from ft. worth, texas, good to have you here. nice and hot here on the grill. we've got 24 hours to go for our holiday. you're already starting with the steaks. >> obviously got to have a steak on fourth of july. i want to talk about a couple of things. skirt steak. there's two kinds of skirt steak you can guy. skirt steak has become sexy meat like your shoes. >> thank you. >> you want to make sure you don't buy the wrong skirt.

this is the inside skirt steak and this is the outside. two cuts. as you mover out the skirt of the animal, this one is more tender. this will tear apart. when you buy the steak, this is going to be a little cheaper. this is going to be tastier. all right? >> okay. >> a little peanut oil, not olive oil. >> why peanut oil. >> because it has a higher flash point and doesn't get bitterness on the steak. olive oil sounds great, more expensive but doesn't mean it's better for the grill. >> salt and pepper. >> no marinading. >> this is the easiest barbecue you'll ever do. >> this has to be the hottest grill in america. >> i do three things when i cook, hot grill, white wine. kathie lee and hoda can't have all the fun. >> that's right. >> put this on here like this. >> right on there. >> takes about three or four minutes a side. >> you want sort of medium rare. >> medium rare.

absolutely. >> i've got some done here. scoop those potatoes out, put them in the bowl. these potatoes have been simmering in peanut oil as well. >> in a cast iron skillet on the grill. >> that's right. everything on the grill. >> the potato salad we're making, is that right? >> that's right. >> you don't need to worry about that. >> the flame. >> make sure you have room on your grill to move the meat around. put your face over there, it's really good for you. while those are grilling, bring this over here. slice these up like this. all right. now for potato salad. >> these are a little crispy. >> slightly soft. >> i've got red bell peppers, some chives, some chilies, anaheim chiles, spice it up a little bit. >> if you don't like that much spice, stick with pepper. >> you can mow your yard with

scissors, too, you know what i'm saying. a lot more complicated. >> point well made. i'll give you that. >> now, this is olive oil. >> right. >> good amount of olive oil. mix that up for me. >> you got that. pepper in there. rainfall okay. like so. >> beautiful. >> beautiful salad. >> when cutting your steak up, you do it on the grain, against the grain, what do you do? >> this is the last thing i want to talk about. the skirt steak, it appears you slice it this way, you go again the grain. turn it sideways. pulls apart. when you slice skirt steak, this is important. if you go lengthwise you can't pull it. >> can i try it? i'm from ft. worth teb texas. >> there you go. >> delicious. >> cauliflower. >> this is great. i'm sure on the website how to do it. smoke the cauliflower for four

or five hours, slice it, grill it. >> that's delicious. thank you so much. happy fourth of july to you. >> is that entire piece mine. >> all for you, tamron. still ahead, talking about -- i'm going to be talking about eating. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am tony pann. we're starting out with quiet weather this tuesday morning. the humidity is going to go up as we head through the day. 30% chance for a thunderstorm later this afternoon.

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